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Reviewer's Guide for
Windows Home Server
Microsoft Corporation
Published: September, 2007
Version: 1.0a
Abstract
This Reviewer's Guide provides a detailed overview of the features and functionality of
the Windows® Home Server software.
2 Windows Home Server Reviewer’s Guide
The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues
discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it
should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the
accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication.
This White Paper is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS,
IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT.
Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under
copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for
any purpose, without the express written permission of Microsoft Corporation.
Microsoft may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights
covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from
Microsoft, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks,
copyrights, or other intellectual property.
Unless otherwise noted, the companies, organizations, products, domain names, e-mail addresses, logos,
people, places, and events depicted in examples herein are fictitious. No association with any real company,
organization, product, domain name, e-mail address, logo, person, place, or event is intended or should be
inferred.
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server, Windows Vista, and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of
companies.
UPnP is a certification mark of the UPnP Implementers Corporation.
All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
3 Windows Home Server Reviewer’s Guide
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 4
Windows Home Server Product Features ............................................................... 6
Home Computer Backup and Restore ................................................................. 6
Shared Folders and Server Storage...................................................................... 8
Remote Access ................................................................................................... 11
Enabling Remote Access .................................................................................... 15
Testing Remote Access Connectivity ................................................................. 18
Home Network Health Monitoring .................................................................... 19
Media Sharing .................................................................................................... 20
Windows Home Server Console ........................................................................ 21
Third Party Add-ins ............................................................................................ 23
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Introduction
Windows® Home Server helps families simplify the way they keep and share their
documents, photos, videos, and music. Windows® Home Server brings it all together for
families with multiple personal computers.and music.
Protect
Windows Home Server automatically backs up your home computers. Computers and
individual files can be easily restored. Additionally, computer health monitoring allows
you to see the health of computers running Windows Vista® in your home. You will
know if your anti-virus programs and other system software are up-to-date.
Connect
Every member of the family can access what they need on the home server from
another computer in the house. You can also share information with faraway friends
and family through a personalized Web address, or access your own files from a
computer with a Web browser when you’re away from home.
Organize
Your family photos, videos and music, and other important documents are together in
one central place. Folders can be created by subject or topic, so your family can stay
organized and up-to-date.
Grow
You can simply connect a new hard drive to Windows Home Server as your storage
needs increase. Also, application developers can create innovative Windows Home
Server Add-Ins to expand the functionality of your home server. For example, Add-ins
can be created for home automation, home webcams, media sharing, and home
security solutions, Windows Home Server will be part of the family today—and in the
future.
5 Windows Home Server Reviewer’s Guide
Windows Home Server is simple to set up and easy to use. It provides a reliable, familiar
way for families to stay connected, whether they’re in the next room or across the
country.
The Windows Home Server Getting Started Guide provides the following information:
Before you Begin
o System Requirements
o Network Requirements
o Supported Operating Systems for Home Computers
Setup
o Windows Home Server Setup
o Windows Home Server Connector Software
Quick Configuration
o User Accounts
o Shared Folders
o Computer Backups
o Server Storage
o Windows Home Server Settings
Troubleshooting
Product Support
Also, please refer to the Windows Home Server help files for additional details on the
features and functionality of Windows Home Server.
6 Windows Home Server Reviewer’s Guide
Windows Home Server Product Features
Home Computer Backup and Restore Windows Home Server will automatically back up your home computers to the home
server and allow you to easily restore the entire computer or an individual file or folder
to a previous point in time. The Windows Home Server Backup solution uses an
innovative method to back up only the data that has not already been backed up before.
Even if you have several copies of the same data on different computers, the data is
backed up only once on your home server and your home server keeps track of what
data was stored on each home computer on each day. This makes it very efficient in
terms of the time it takes for backups to complete and also the amount of space that is
used on your home server.
Figure : Computers & Backup tab in Windows Home Server Console
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Automated Daily Backup of your Home Computers
Computer backups are automatically configured when you install the Windows
Home Server Connector software on your computers. Backup is performed on a
daily basis for every configured computer.
Restore an Entire Home Computer
Restoring a home computer to a previous point in time is easy. If you want to
restore your computer to a previous point in time, you boot the home computer
from the Home Computer Restore CD. The computer will connect to your home
server and provide a simple wizard for restoring a single hard drive or multiple hard
drives from a backup of that computer that is stored on your home server.
Restore Individual Files and Folders
You can also restore individual files or folders by selecting a home computer and a
specific backup of that computer from the Windows Home Server Console
application. A Windows Explorer window is displayed with the files and folders that
were backed up for that computer on that day. You can easily drag and drop
individual files or entire folders from this Windows Explorer window and store them
on your Windows Desktop or another location on your home computer.
Figure : Backup Settings
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Shared Folders and Server Storage Windows Home Server Drive Extender is a revolutionary new storage technology that
enables you to use internal and/or external hard drives of varying sizes for additional
storage on your home server. In addition, the person who administers Windows Home
Server can enable Folder Duplication for specific Shared Folders on their home server,
so two copies of a shared folder exist.
Pre-Defined Shared Folders
Your home server is pre-configured with the following shared folders: Photos,
Music, Videos, Public, and Software. From the Windows Home Server Console you
can specify the user permissions for these folders and create any number of new
shared folders.
Figure : Shared Folders tab in Windows Home Server Console
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Easy to Add More Storage
From the Windows Home Server Console you can add a new hard drive to your
Server Storage using a simple wizard. The amount of storage available to your
shared folders and home computer backups increases proportionally. The hard
drives you add can be either internal or external (e.g. USB 2.0 or FireWire).
Shared Folder Duplication
If you have two or more hard drives in your home server, Windows Home Server
helps protect against hard drive failures by ensuring that files stored in shared
folders are automatically duplicated across multiple hard drives. Duplication is
configurable on a per shared folder basis, so a given shared folder has two copies,
with each one being stored on a separate hard drive.
Figure : Server Storage tab in Windows Home Server Console
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What makes Windows Home Server Shared Folders and Storage unique?
Allows easy addition of more hard drives
As you add more hard drives to your home server, they are represented in Server
Storage as a single large collection of available storage space. You no longer need to
deal with E:, F:, G:, etc. drive letters as you add more hard drives.
Works with both internal and external hard drives
You can grow the amount of available storage by adding either internal or external
(e.g. USB 2.0 or Firewire) hard drives to your home server.
Shared Folder Duplication
Supports reliability by duplication of designated shared folders – so important data
will be stored on separate hard drives helping to provide protection against hard
drive failure. Duplication is configurable on a per shared folder basis, so a given
shared folder can have multiple copies, with each one being stored on a separate
hard drive.
Easy to remove hard drives
It is also easy to remove hard drives through the Windows Home Server Console.
The files and folders on the hard drive are automatically moved to other hard drives
in Server Storage so that over time you can remove the older, smaller hard drives.
11 Windows Home Server Reviewer’s Guide
Remote Access After you have turned Remote Access on and configured a user account for Remote
Access using the Windows Home Server Console, you can use a web browser on a
computer from outside your home to access your home server and home computers
remotely.
Figure : Remote Access Home page
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There are three things a user can do from the remote access interface:
Remote Access to Shared Folders
Users can download files and folders, and upload one or more files to the shared
folders on their home server while away from home. You can also search through
the Shared Folders when you are trying to locate a specific file or files.
Remote Access to Home Computers
Connect remotely to the computers in your home. Run an application as if you were
sitting in front of your home computer.
Remotely Connect to the Windows Home Server Console
If the need arises, you can access the Windows Home Server Console while away
from home to add new users, add new shared folders or check the health of your
home network.
Figure : Remote Access Shared Folders page
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To connect to one of your home computers, on the Computers tab, click the name of
the home computer. You can connect only a computer that is Available for connection
and that is running one of the following operating systems:
Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 (SP2)
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
Windows XP Tablet Edition with SP2
Windows Vista Ultimate, Windows Vista Business, or Windows Vista Enterprise
Figure : Remote Access Computers page
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What makes Remote Access unique?
Remote Access to Home Computers
After logging into your home server, you can quickly connect to a home computer
and run an application as if you were sitting in front of that computer.
Personalized Internet Address
You can register for a personalized Internet address so that you can remotely access
your home server using your personalized Internet address (e.g.
http://SmithFamily.HomeServer.com/home)
Remote access permissions set for each user
You can define up to 10 users and for each user it is easy to enable or disable the
ability to remotely connect to your home server.
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Enabling Remote Access By default, Remote Access is disabled for your home server. To enable Remote Access,
open the Windows Home Server Console, choose Settings, and then Remote Access.
There are 3 simple steps that you need to complete to make your home server remotely
accessible from outside your home. Open the Windows Home Server Console, click
Settings, and then click Remote Access.
Figure : Remote Access Settings page
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1. Ensure that Web Site Connectivity is Turned On. If it is, three network ports
(80,443 and 4125) on the Window Home Server firewall are open, so that your
home server accepts incoming requests from the Internet.
2. Configure your router. In this step, Windows Home Server configures the
persistent port forwarding from your UPnP™–certified router to your home
server, as follows:
Port 80: http:// web requests
Port 443: https:// web requests using Secure Sockets Layer
Port 4125: remote desktop proxy
3. Select a Domain Name. Choose a personalized domain name for your home
server (for example, SmithFamily.homeserver.com). Click Setup… to run the
Domain Name Setup Wizard which prompts you to enter your Windows Live ID,
and then you can select a domain name for your home server.
Important
You may need to add services from your broadband provider to use Windows
Home Server’s remote access features. For example, you will need certain
“ports” to be open to use these features. Some broadband providers block
certain ports for customers on some service plans. Also, some broadband
providers’ terms of service may limit or prohibit setting up and running of
“servers” on their networks by some customers on some service plans. Make
sure that your use of Windows Home Server features follows your broadband
providers’ terms of service. Please contact your broadband provider if you have
questions about their terms of service.
Windows Home Server includes a built-in dynamic DNS client feature that binds your
personalized domain name to the external IP address that is assigned by your ISP.
17 Windows Home Server Reviewer’s Guide
Important
You do not need to forward TCP port 3389 from your router to your home server. To
remotely connect to your home computers and to the Windows Home Server
Console, you only need to enable port 4125.
Note
Windows Home Server needs the UPnP architecture in order to automatically
configure your router, but not all broadband routers properly support the UPnP
architecture. The Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool checks your router to see if
it supports certain technologies. You can use this tool on a computer that is running
either the Windows Vista® or the Windows XP operating system. The tool is
available at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=100267
If your router does not pass these tests, then you need to manually forward the TCP
ports (80, 443, and 4125) from your router to the IP address of your home server.
For more information, see the documentation for your broadband router or visit the
PortForward web site at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=100269
Next, enable Remote Access on at least one user account. User accounts that have
Remote Access enabled must have a strong password. The strong-password policy
requires passwords that are at least 7 characters long and that contain characters from
at least three of the following four categories:
Uppercase letters Lowercase letters Numbers Symbols (such as !, @, #, etc.)
Note
For improved security, choose long, complex user names and long, complex
passwords for your user accounts that have Remote Access enabled.
18 Windows Home Server Reviewer’s Guide
Testing Remote Access Connectivity After you configure Remote Access, test the remote connectivity from within your home
and from outside of your home. Run the following tests from one of your home
computers to see if Remote Access is working properly:
http://<servername>/home - Connects over your home network to the
Windows Home Server home page, using port 80.
https://<servername>/remote - Connects over your home network to the logon
page for Windows Home Server Remote Access, using a Secure Socket Layer
connection on port 443.
You can run the following tests from a computer when you are outside of your home
and you have access to an Internet connection. These tests check if your personalized
domain name (for example, SmithFamily.HomeServer.com) is working properly:
http://<yourname>.HomeServer.com/home - Connects over the Internet to
your home server, using port 80. You should see the Windows Home Server
home page.
https://<yourname>.HomeServer.com/remote - Connects over the Internet to
your home server, using port 443. You should see the logon page for Windows
Home Server Remote Access.
Important
Some broadband providers restrict the use of port 80, so you may find that,
although you can connect to your home server by using https://, you cannot
connect by using http://. Please contact your broadband provider if you have
questions about their terms of service.
If these tests give negative results, do the following to try to connect directly to your
home server with the external IP address that your broadband provider assigns:
http://<external_IP_address>/home Connects over the Internet to your home
server, using port 80. You should see the Windows Home Server home page.
http://<external_IP_address>/home Connects over the Internet to your home
server, using port 443. You should see the logon page for Windows Home Server
Remote Access.
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Home Network Health Monitoring Windows Home Server monitors its own health status and the status of your computers
that are running Windows Vista, and it notifies you of any issues or problems that are
found. Windows Home Server monitors the following health information:
Home Computer Backups
Monitors that your home computers are being backed up on a regular basis and that
the backups are completing successfully.
Server Storage and Shared Folder Duplication
Monitors the hard drives in your home server and helps ensure that the shared
folders that have enabled Folder Duplication have enough space on your hard disk
drives to store two copies of the shared folder.
Security Center Status for Windows Vista
Collects the Security Center status from your home computers running Windows
Vista and helps you centrally monitor the health status of your computers from the
Windows Home Server Console.
The tray application provides you with a high-level indicator of the health of your home
network. The icon can change to the following colors:
Green – your home network is healthy
Yellow – your home network is at risk
Red – your home server has found a critical problem
Blue – this computer is currently being backed up to your home server
If a problem is found, you can connect to the Windows Home Server Console to get
more detailed information.
20 Windows Home Server Reviewer’s Guide
Media Sharing Your home server is pre-configured with the following shared folders that can be used
to store your media files: Photos, Music, and Videos. Additionally, these shared folders
can be enabled for media streaming from the Windows Home Server Console. You can
selectively turn on “Media Library Sharing” for each of these shared folders so that your
music, photos, and/or videos can be accessible from an Xbox 360™ entertainment
system or another supported digital media receiver that is attached to your home
network.
View Photo Slideshows from a Home PC
You can store your digital photos in the Photos shared folder on your home server
so you access them from your home computers or from an Xbox 360 in your home.
Figure : Media Sharing Settings
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Stream Music in your Home
Similarly, you can store your music on your home server so you can access and play
it from your home computers or a digital music receiver on your home network.
Store your Videos on your Home Server
Your home server can be used to store your collections of videos and recorded TV
from a computer running Windows Media Center.
Windows Home Server Console The Windows Home Server Console is the application used to configure your home
server. It is not intended to be used by everyone in the household.
You access the Console from any computer that has the Windows Home Server
Connector software installed by double-clicking the Windows Home Server task bar
icon. When you run the console application it will ask you for the home server
password and then will connect to your home server.
Figure : Configuring User Permissions for Shared Folders
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The Windows Home Server Console provides you the ability to:
View the Backup Status of your Home Computers
The Computers & Backup tab allows you to view the backup status and configure
backups on the computers where you have installed the Windows Home Server
Connector software.
Configure User Accounts
The User Accounts tab allows you to add up to 10 user accounts. You can change
the shared folders that users have access to and enable remote access for each
user. Each user will automatically be provided with a shared folder that only they
(by default) have access to (e.g. \\server\users\jeff).
Configure Shared Folders
The Shared Folders tab allows you to add and remove shared folders and change
properties of shared folders. If you have two or more hard drives in your home
server, when you create a new folder, you can select Enable Folder Duplication so
two copies of the shared folder will exist on separate hard drives.
Configure Server Storage
The Server Storage tab allows you to view, add, and remove hard drives on your
home server. You can see the status of your server storage, and attempt to repair
any hard drives that show a status of Unhealthy. You can also see a graphical
representation of the total disk space usage on your home server.
View the Health Status of your Home Network
The Network Health indicator provides you with Healthy, At Risk and Critical health
notifications for your home server, and your home computers.
Adjust Server Settings
You can change the configuration settings for your home server, such as: Windows
Update settings, Computer Backup settings, Password policy, and the date and time.
Additionally, you will find the ability to restart your home server.
23 Windows Home Server Reviewer’s Guide
Third Party Add-ins Windows Home Server is based on the proven technologies of the Microsoft Windows
Server® operating system and is designed to be a platform upon which other solutions
can be developed.
Your Home Server Can Do More
Windows Home Server has been designed with extensibility in mind, so that
software developers can develop innovative Add-Ins, such as home web cameras,
family information management software, home automation and home security
solutions that work with your home server.
Large Ecosystem of Software and Hardware Partners
Microsoft has partners throughout the world that have built and are continuing to
build new software and hardware solutions that work with Microsoft Windows
software. As these partners become familiar with Windows Home Server, we will
probably see solutions delivered that will enhance the usefulness and functionality
of your home server.
For the latest information on Windows Home Server, please visit the product web site at
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=100260
The Windows Home Server team blog is also a useful source of news, insights and
information, available at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=100265
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